An Affair With Kirk
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: I thought I would write an extended romance between Lorelai and Kirk, one in which Lorelai is eventually won over and charmed by everyone's favorite quirk. Please read, review and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Mouse Speaks

**Chapter 1: The Mouse Speaks**

Michel was freaking out again. Normally, Lorelai would try to go through a day at the Independence Inn without dealing with the annoying concierge, but questions of extermination were not something that she, as Manager, could in good conscience ignore. Which is what now found her hunched over by the fireplace as Michel dithered on his hands and knees, glancing up the chimney.

"You're sure?"

"Positive! It ran right across the lobby and into the fireplace!"

"I don't see it -"

"It must have found a hole! To crawl into..."

"OK, I can't have this mouse running around the Inn. Customers will freak."

"Well, tell them it's a baby! People love babies! They'll talk to it in funny voices."

"Did you call an exterminator?" Lorelai demanded.

"Why, no, what a wonderful idea!" Michel bawled sarcastically. "I was actually going to fasten a large wedge of cheese to my head and lay on the ground until Mickey gets hungry and decides to crawl out and snack on my face."

"When does he get here?" Lorelai's smile was dripping with fakery.

"He said we were the first stop."

"Well, what do we do until then?"

"Make cat sounds?" Michel suggested.

"Excuse me, Lorelai?" Kirk had suddenly appeared in the lobby, carrying a brown-wrapped package. Lorelai sighed. As if she didn't have enough to deal with today...

"Oh, hey, Kirk, hold on a second. Just... stand here and make sure it doesn't come out."

Michel was non-plussed. "Oh, goody! A promotion." Unsure what more she could do, Lorelai brushed him off and turned her attention to her town's oddball entrepreneur. "Hi, Kirk, what can I do for ya?"

"I have a delivery for Sookie."

"Oh, wow! Anything good?"

"No, just some wedding photos." Oh, right. She had forgotten that Sookie and Jackson had hired him to be their wedding photographer. Really, Lorelai hadn't been so sure, but she had supported her friends. And it wasn't as though Kirk wouldn't do a good job; he worked harder than anybody in town.

"Oh, good! She stepped out for a minute, but I'll take them to her." She reached for the package, but Kirk didn't move. He looked like a cat had his tongue. An awkward pause. "I swear, I'll give them to her!" and Kirk finally handed over the package. Still, Kirk stood there. "If you want, I'll leave and find her, and give them to her," Lorelai smiled.

"No, that won't be necessary."

"OK! Well..."

"Lorelai, can I speak to you for a moment?" What made Lorelai turn back around, in the process of jaunting off to find Sookie, was that Kirk sounded even more nervous and on-edge than he perpetually, usually was.

"Oh, sure."

"Could we sit?" Kirk gestured to the couch, which only struck Lorelai further as odd... well, odder than your standard Kirk.

"Sit?" she frowned. "Sure, let's sit." The pair awkwardly moved over to the cream couch, Lorelai setting the package aside. Something wasn't sitting well in her gut, so she decided to get right to the point. "Is everything OK?"

"OK?"

"Yes."

"With me?"

"Yes."

"Well, my mother has developed a condition. It makes her knees enormous. Yesterday, I spent all morning cutting holes in her pants so she could sit, but... other than that and the dyspeptic parrot problem, everything is fine."

Lorelai eyed him weirdly.

"Well, good, I'm glad. Well... I'm -"

"I was just wondering," Kirk cut across her unexpectedly. Lorelai lowered herself back down mid-rise.

"Yes, wondering what?" Where on earth was he going with this?

Kirk sighed. "We've known each other for a good amount of time now. Our paths have crossed, professionally and socially... a number of times all with relatively... pleasant results..."

Lorelai was staring at him, her mind whirring. It couldn't be... if it was, this was the most awkward... oh no...

"Well, I was just wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?"

It still surprised her, even as he said it, and even after she had leaped to that thread about a half second before he asked her. Lorelai's mouth dropped open in astonishment. All she could get out was an "Oh..."

"In two weeks."

That made her frown bemusedly. "Two weeks?"

"I heard you have a cold. I think two weeks is enough to ensure the virus doesn't spread through your system." The town rumor mill must have been churning from the Diner that morning.

"Well, Kirk..." Lorelai got out slowly, trying to find her words. She had close to none, absolutely close to none. What do you say when the town oddball asks you out on a date? Sure, Kirk was her peer, but emotionally speaking... he wasn't much older than Rory. The man still lived with his mother, for heaven's sake!

"You don't have to answer me right away, I know this is completely out of the blue for you. Take a few days and think about it." It was at that moment that he decided to get up and try to walk away, right when Lorelai didn't want to walk away herself, as she had been for the last ten minutes. She sighed dejectedly.

"Kirk, wait..."

"By the way, I think you might be the prettiest girl I've ever seen..." Kirk sounded crippling, besotted. And even a little scared in declaring his love. "Outside of a really filthy magazine."

"Thank you," Lorelai got out, her smile sad and broken. Strange as it was, for Kirk, the words were... kind of sweet.

Kirk left, Lorelai turning back to the package with a significant slump of guilt to her shoulders. "Don't," she preemptively growled at Michel, who looked like he was one tick away from hooting with glee.

"Oh, I'm doing nothing! Ben, however, has dropped dead from laughter."

* * *

Back at number 37, Maple Street, Rory was just rising from her beauty rest. Bleary-eyed, she was ready to experience her first day of senior year... but upon sitting up, she found her mother sitting in the corner chair looking like some kind of demented serial killer. Rory jerked, startled. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Not long." Lorelai's smile was tightly impish, almost strained, and Rory knew some joking rant was coming. "An hour... and a half." She had needed a lot of time to sit and think after getting off the strangest morning shift she had ever worked.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?" Rory's face crumpled into even more wariness.

"Because... today is the last first day of high school you're ever gonna have!"

"You're insane!" Rory whined.

"I'm not insane, I'm just sentimental. And you're _grown_!"

"I'm not grown."

"Yes, you are. You're all grown up and soon you'll be going off into the world."

"Not yet..." Rory mumbled.

"But soon! And after you've spread those wings and fly away I won't have the opportunity to give you this." The giant smile was back as Lorelai held out a sheet of paper. Rory knew that meant either something insane or Lorelai-funny was about to be handed down.

"What is it?" she couldn't help but chirp.

"It's your bill," Lorelai deadpanned. And... there it was.

"My what?"

"Yeah... I've been crunching the numbers, you know, adding up what you've cost me over the years: raising you, clothing you, feeding you, etc., etc., etc." She pointed out the first line item. "Yes, I've itemized everything here by years and income ratio; I thought you could factor it into your student loan."

"Oh, boy," Rory groused, handing the bill back and moving to get out of bed as Lorelai prattled on.

"One thing that's painfully obvious here... you've used an extraordinary amount of diapers."

"I'm going to take a shower..."

"Really, it cost a _fortune_! What were you _using_ all those _diapers_ for?"

"I was making my Make-Mommy-Go-Away castle," Rory parried back dryly as she moved to pull on a pink bathrobe.

"Ok, you got home too late last night and I didn't get a chance to talk to you..."

"I came home at 10 and you were already asleep."

"Well, I was trying to watch The Legend of Bagger Vance again..."

"What did I miss?" Rory sighed. Lorelai stood, taking a deep breath and smoothing down her skirt as she stood, hands on her hips and her lips pursed.

"Kirk asked me out." She got through a tight mouth.

"Shut up!" Rory's face lit up into a million-watt grin that Lorelai did not find amusing in the slightest.

"Yesterday, he came to the Inn and asked me to dinner."

"That's so sweet..." Rory cooed.

"_Sweet_?!" Lorleai couldn't believe her ears.

"You should wear your dress with the ponies! I bet he likes ponies!"

"Rory, I cannot go out with _Kirk_!" Lorelai gasped.

"Why?"

"_Why_?! He's... he's _Kirk_!" Lorelai almost squeaked nervously, her breath coming in somewhere between a gasp and a laugh.

"Well, as long as he loves you..."

_Wait... loves me?_ Lorelai gawked. "You are not serious!"

"I just want you to be happy!" OK, Rory was definitely teasing.

"Hello, Headmaster Charleston, this is my stepfather, Kirk. Please don't make any sudden movements, he's a fear-biter!"

The words Kirk and stepfather in the same sentence seemed to mellow Rory out. "OK, so how will you let him down?"

"I don't know, that's why I needed to talk to you, you're the nice one in the family."

"Well, you could tell him the truth - you could say you're not interested in dating him and that you just want to be friends."

"Uhh, that sounds so lame..."

"You could tell him you're involved with someone..."

Lorelai scoffed, "Right because my track record is so great in that area I can really afford to jinx it with that kind of lie. No!"

"All right, then _you_ figure it out."

"All right." Lorelai thought for only a moment: "We're gonna have to move."

Rory rolled her eyes, playing along. "OK."

"Take off in the middle of the night - leave everything behind! Assume... different identities! I'll join a community theatre and you can play soccer. It'll work for... many years, until the FBI comes to get me and by that point you're on your own."

"I don't play soccer," Rory pointed out with a smirk as she sashayed around her mother.

"You do now," Lorelai's grin was borderline insane.

Mother and daughter continued to bicker as they moved into the kitchen for breakfast. Rory opened the fridge to retrieve the milk, failing to tamp down a bubbling laugh.

"Stop!" Lorelai groaned.

"It's funny!"

"It's _not_ funny! It's _bad_! I have to _see_ this guy! He works at every business in town; I can't get away from him!"

"Well, then you should marry him and move in with his mother!" Rory adorably could not keep the mirth out of her voice. But then her expression suddenly turned serious. "I think you should do it."

Lorelai nearly choked on their marshmallow cereal. "What?"

"Go on a date with Kirk."

"OK, I thought we were past this..." Lorelai eyed her daughter warily.

"You've gone on plenty of dates before! Single dates where you then drop them like a hot rock. Remember Peyton?"

Lorelai did remember Peyton. He had been drop-dead _gorgeous_, but personality-wise, dryer than toast. Even Alex Lesman from last year, who she had made it past one date with, had fizzled after only a few.

"Mom:" Rory eyed her hard. "Kirk has probably never been on a date _in his life_, let alone had someone even say Yes only to just stand him up later."

"That's a great idea!" Lorelai chirped. "I'll say Yes, then call and cancel after you fake the flu!"

"In the middle of August?" Rory laughed at her. "Mom: say Yes. _And_ go through with it. You will make Kirk's week. Hell, his _year_. And then, after that, you don't have to have any obligation. You can say you just want to be friends."

Lorelai groaned as her head hit the tabletop. "Great. We're right back where we started!"

* * *

Lorelai had thought getting coffee and talking to Luke would help. Boy, was she wrong.

Apparently, Luke already knew that Kirk had asked her out, after Kirk told him. Lorelai was a little stung when Luke was beyond not appearing as bothered about it as she hoped he'd be; in fact, he seemed to take a page out of Rory's book and happily tease her about it. When the word wedding came up, she told him to go jump in his own greasepan. The fact that she had to have lunch with Emily only dampened her mood.

Walking across the square after leaving the Diner, she spied Kirk passing out flyers and over-enthusiastically trying to take measurements of people's pets. A pet grooming business, perhaps? She wouldn't be surprised.

She thought over what Rory had said, about saying Yes and how it would make Kirk's life. And Kirk was a nice guy, if also a little strange. It would be a date, but there didn't have to be any expectations. She was just being nice. Even if she had to tell herself that this wouldn't be out of pity. Squaring her shoulders, she marched up to him.

"Yes."

Kirk blinked, as a creeped-out Mrs. Kim moved on with her Pekingese poodle. "I'm sorry, Lorelai, did I ask you a question?"

"Yes. I'll go on a date with you. But let's bump it up on the calendar - say, this Saturday?" Lorelai knew Rory would be studying over at a friend's that night after her first week, Paris most likely.

Kirk appeared stunned, like he had lost the ability to talk. Lorelai peered at him. "Um, Kirk? I just said I would go on..."

"OK." His voice sounded strangled, even as a pathetically hopeful grin broke across his face. "OK."

Lorelai grinned. "Excellent. I know a great restaurant in Hartford, then we can get a movie. I'll pick you up by the gazebo."

Kirk nodded, then promptly ran away, pelting in almost a panic towards the direction of Luke's Diner. Smiling softly, Lorelai shook her head. _If he asks for dating advice from Luke, Luke will probably kill him and I won't have to go through with it, after all... _But even if she did end up going through with it, she was going to give Kirk a date he would never forget, Emily-Gilmore style.


	2. Chapter 2: The Hartford Date from Hell

**Chapter 2: The Hartford Date From Hell**

As Lorelai had set the terms for this date - fancy and far away from the neighbors - she knew she had to put in a decent amount of effort in deciding what to wear. Which is why she went with the blue suit coat with the flippy skirt, instead of the poodle skirt Rory had suggested.

It only briefly dawned on Lorelai that, while she would have no fear of encountering her neighbors in trendy Hartford, she was running every risk of encountering her mother. Imagine, her mother having to meet her date, Kirk? Lorelai was torn between wanting to shudder and wanting to laugh.

She picked up Kirk at the gazebo in her Jeep, as promised, and they drove to Hartford. Lorelai was glad to see that Kirk had taken the location of the date seriously; his attire was properly formal - a suit coat that she had seen him in at least once or twice when he was on business. Lorelai had to admit... Kirk looked nice in it.

The restaurant that Lorelai had selected was in downtown Hartford, a good distance away from the upper-crust hills of the city where she had grown up. There was a good chance she might get through tonight without encountering her parents. Then again, Emily did frequent this particular shopping plaza with friends quite often, so who was to say Lorelai might not bump into her?

A concierge in a tuxedo greeted Kirk and Lorelai at the door. "Good evening, sir and madam. May I take your coats?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Kirk replied in his usual monotone, laced with a formality that oddly worked in this environment. In any event, the concierge must have seemed pleased with Kirk's manners and officious tone, for he leaned over to Lorelai and said, "Don't let him get away. He's a keeper." Lorelai seemed uncertain whether to blush or blanch, scream or laugh. Maybe she hadn't thought through her grand plan as well as she had imagined. Did everyone but her seem to mistake that Kirk belonged here? Emily might not be fooled, and Lorelai knew damn well she had led Kirk onto another planet, but everyone else...

The guilt only continued to eat away at her when Kirk helped Lorelai out of her coat and even pulled out her chair for her, like a gentleman. Watching him stick his nose in the menu, perusing it in a careful way that reminded Lorelai oddly of Max Medina that day in Luke's Diner, Lorelai was again reminded of her plan... and how Kirk was innocently foiling it without even being aware of it.

Lorelai had had no intention of purposefully sabotaging her date - that would have been too cruel and something more in line with the mother she usually disliked. However, in insisting that the date was in Hartford, at one of its finest restaurants and most ostentatious movie houses, Lorelai had hoped that Kirk would look distinctly out of his element. Enough to make him see that while he was a nice guy, his aim for dating her was a little too ambitious. Lorelai had a type, as all women do, and sadly, Kirk was not it. Oh, he was a nice guy and all, but the fact remained... he was an oddball. A nerd. Quirky Kirk.

"Do you know what's good here?" Kirk's question snapped Lorelai out of her thoughts, and she darted her eyes into her lap, studying her folded hands.

"I'm... I'm not sure. I haven't been here in a while," she admitted. Which was true; she was splurging what little extra cash she had on this date. She still had enough to make sure she didn't fall behind on bills, but it would be a few paychecks yet before Lorelai was back to having a small savings surplus.

The waiter came to take their orders. "Can I start you folks off with drinks?"

"A Bloody Mary on the rocks with a twist, please," Lorelai requested. Across from her, she noticed Kirk raise an eyebrow, as if to say, _That's a little strong_. Oh, yes, that is what Lorelai was going for, but Kirk's reaction made her take pause: _is Kirk a brewer too?_ She wouldn't have been surprised.

The waiter scratched down the order before turning to Kirk. "And for you, sir?"

"Just a lemonade, please." The pair were then left alone. Lorelai found herself glancing at Kirk, then just as quickly looking away. This was Kirk, and yet oddly enough, she felt shy. The candlelight as ambience didn't help matters.

"So," Kirk began, unfolding his roll of silverware and draping the napkin across his lap. "How's Rory? Is she making final choices on colleges?"

The questioning about her daughter right out of the gates was actually greatly appreciated by Lorelai. Refreshing. On every other date she had been on, most men would start off by asking about her, while periodically taking peeks at her cleavage. Alex Lesman. Peyton. A colleague at the Independence Inn whom she had started seeing when Rory was small (he had since left the company). Even Max Medina had spent their first date checking her out. With the exception of him (and now Kirk), no other man she had dated had started by asking about her daughter... mostly because her presence was not known. When Lorelai would finally mention that she had a teenage daughter, it was usually a test to see if the man was quality enough to keep around. More often than not, this test was failed. Lorelai didn't want someone just for herself. She wanted someone whom her daughter could look up to. Most men she dated didn't understand that, or reacted to Rory as if she was something standing in the way between them and Lorelai. It was nice to see that Kirk had never felt that way.

"She's great, thanks. She is going to apply to several Ivy Leagues. She's worked really hard."

Kirk grinned. "You must be very proud of her."

"Thank you," Lorelai smiled softly. "And how are things with your latest venture? What are you in...?"

"Event planning right now. The photography and entrepreneurship are all just to have the skills for every facet. Taylor is going to have me oversee some smaller details on the Firelight Festival."

"That's great!" Lorelai grinned. And she meant it.

"Don't say anything, though, but I think Taylor is doing it just so I don't get into any mishaps the day of." Kirk's voice dropped low.

Lorelai found herself genuinely laughing, in spite of herself, and encouragingly, Kirk laughed with her. "I bet you'll be awesome!" A slight pause and then Lorelai voiced, peering at Kirk with impressed curiosity, "You know, Kirk, you are actually a great conversationalist."

Kirk shrugged self-deprecatingly as the waiter came back with their drinks. "Well, with Luke as a coach, he can make anyone sound verbose. And everyone calls him a grunting he-man!"

_He practiced with Luke over how to talk to me?_ Lorelai blinked. The shock must have been evident on her face, for Kirk shrugged again. "I held a mock-date in the Diner, taping myself. Then I went back over the footage and critiqued what I did wrong."

Lorelai was astounded before breaking into a soft, affectionate smile. _Wow. That took... a lot of effort. _Glancing away, she happened to spy some socialites at the next table over watching them - specifically Kirk. From their hand gestures, it was clear they were amused by Kirk's presence. Even if she couldn't here what they were saying, the snobbish mockery was evident. Maybe Kirk did stick out more than he was letting on... in the way that Lorelai had hoped he would at first. It made Lorelai frown, and she turned back to her date purposefully and with a genuine smile as the waiter returned to take their meal order.

* * *

The cinema was right down the road from the restaurant. Kirk and Lorelai strolled down the sidewalk together, their conversation from the table flowing out into the open air. As they passed by Lorelai's Jeep, parked on the curb, Lorelai asked that they pause so she could check her tank. "I want to make sure we have enough gas to get us back," she explained.

There was plenty of gas left in the tank, but when Lorelai turned the ignition over just to be safe, the Jeep stalled. Frowning, she tried again. Still nothing. Maybe the cool air was doing something to the engine. Turning the car off, she got out and turned to Kirk.

"Let's go to the movie. With any luck, whatever's ailing my car will wear off by the time we get out." Lorelai didn't want to suffer the embarrassment of calling Luke to come bail her and Kirk out. Even worse would it be to have to eat the expense of a professional car tow and repair if Luke couldn't get the Jeep working. Trying to put it out of her mind, Lorelai decided to enjoy her date (which, surprisingly, she already was).

The second _Lord of the Rings_ movie was playing one of its last showings before the end of the summer. Plus, nerdy Kirk seemed to be into it as much as Rory had been. Lorelai mostly sat through it just so she could ogle Orlando Bloom.

Other than a trio of twenty-somethings seated near the back, Kirk and Lorelai were the only ones in the theatre. In the middle of the movie, Kirk dared to put a tentative arm over Lorelai's shoulder. She almost said something until she realized... she didn't particularly mind that his arm was there, one way or the other. It was actually kind of sweet. A sleepy Lorelai soon found herself leaning into Kirk's chest. The intimacy of the position must have unnerved Kirk a little bit, for he shifted slightly.

"Kirk? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine."

A sudden burst of laughter - during a scene that was absolutely not funny - made the couple swivel their heads around to the trio of boys in the back. To Lorelai's boiling anger, they weren't even watching Legolas surf through Helm's Deep. They were laughing at Kirk's jumpiness.

"Girl, you're some kind of FINE! Whatcha doing with such a retarded loser, huh? Come on up here and date a real man!"

Lorelai stole a quick glance to Kirk, who to her shock seemed to be taking the boys' words to heart. Kirk always seemed so unapologetic about his... uniqueness. It made Lorelai's heart hurt to know that it bothered him, now and again. Frowning, she stood and addressed the leader.

"I'd rather have him than the likes of any of you!" Strangely enough, to her own ears... she meant it. And with that, she sat down and pulled Kirk into her lap. She even thought about kissing him, just to prove a point, but she didn't want to frighten him. Besides, consent went both ways; she'd taught Rory that.

Kirk, however, remained on edge for close to the rest of the movie. He squirmed out of Lorelai's lap and ran out of the cinema when the film still had ten minutes to go. Biting her lip in concern, Lorelai followed.

She found Kirk waiting beside her Jeep, looking utterly crestfallen. Heart going out to him, Lorelai approached and rubbed his arm.

"Kirk? What's wrong?"

"He's right," Kirk said despondently.

"No, he's not," Lorelai said emphatically. "I wouldn't look twice at him..."

"But you should be! A gorgeous woman like you can do so much better than a guy like me! You should be dating a model, or a teacher like Rory's professor..."

She chose to ignore the reference to Max. "Well, maybe I _want_ to date a guy like you!" Lorelai blasted out. Once again, she surprised herself with the sincerity of her words. "A guy who's sweet and unique and genuine."

"But could you date a guy who can't even work up the nerve to kiss you?" Kirk snapped self-loathingly.

Lorelai blinked, gazing at him in astonishment. _He wants to kiss me?_ She realized that, if Kirk did work up the nerve and kissed her... she would not push him away. If he asked her permission, she just might say Yes and give it. Maybe she would even... kiss him back...

Lorelai was so consumed by her thoughts that she barely registered Kirk's mouth brushing her cheek. Shaking her head to clear it, she stared at him and smiled softly. Unsure how to read her reaction, Kirk flushed. "Sorry."

"You missed," Lorelai grinned simply, chidingly.

"What?"

"You missed."

"What do you mean, I missed?"

Beaming, Lorelai suddenly slung one arm over Kirk's shoulder, pulled him close and shoved her lips against his as she kissed him. The kiss was long and lingering and actually quite pleasant and even though Kirk had only slightly moved to return and deepen the kiss by the time Lorelai released him with a small POP! of her mouth, she didn't mind. With another encouraging smile, Lorelai turned away as if nothing had happened and tested the ignition on her car.

It still wouldn't start.

"Damn it."

* * *

The date was by every measure, by every metric an unmitigated, unqualified disaster. At least it would have been juried as such by the outside observer. But Lorelai, strolling back into Stars Hollow proper with Kirk at her side, was too happy to care.

She had had a wonderful time, laughing with him and actually... charmed by his little idiosyncrasies. Sure, the snobs turning up their noses in the restaurant had rubbed her the wrong way and the jealous men ogling her and humiliating Kirk had put a huge damper on the movie. And she had almost forgotten about her Jeep breaking down and having to take the bus - she would have to call Luke in the morning so he could go to Hartford and tow her car. Aside from all of that, though, it had been a very nice date. She had actually had a wonderful time.

She and Kirk now arrived at the Gazebo in the center of the town square, deciding to part ways inside it before exiting in separate directions for home. Lorelai smiled. "I had a great time. Good night." But no matter which of the two exits she and Kirk tried to use, they could not effectively communicate which one each of them would take. When one person tried to choose one exit, they found themselves blocked by the other. It was almost as if they were missing something...

Finally, the third time this happened, Lorelai and Kirk found themselves in the center of the Gazebo, face to face. They stared at each other almost nervously, until -

Kirk all at once grabbed Lorelai by her arms, yanked her close and kissed her senselessly on the mouth. "Mmmm!" A shocked sound between a whimper and a squeak emanated from her mouth as Lorelai's eyes popped open. He broke the kiss as sharply as he had initiated it. And then Kirk did what he did best: he ran away.

In a daze, Lorelai turned, beaming as she watched Kirk disappear into the night. She actually let loose something of a squeal, which was all at once followed by a clap of thunder as the heavens opened up. Not even caring that her blue suit coat with the flippy skirt was guaranteed to get soaking wet, Lorelai happily ran all the way home in the pouring rain.


	3. Chapter 3: Been With a Woman

**Chapter 3: Been With a Woman**

Impressed and pleased that Kirk had plucked up the courage to kiss her, and feeling bad that their date had ended with mixed results and starting to actually feel open about becoming romantically involved with him, Lorelai took the initiative to ask Kirk for a second date. On one of his errands up to the Independence Inn, she took him aside into one of the unused guest rooms and asked him to dinner. Only this time, they would have dinner in Stars Hollow - neutral territory, where neither one of them would be out of their element.

Kirk seemed elated, but also stunned that he had gotten this far. "How will I know that I am showing you a nice time?"

Smiling, Lorelai took his face in her hands and gave him a tantalizing kiss on the lips. "Just be yourself," she murmured. "And you may get a kiss even bigger than that." _You might even get lucky_, an inner voice added. Blushing, she batted it away.

Telling Rory would be the harder part. When Lorelai had returned home from her Hartford date in a tizzy and looking like a drowned rat, her daughter had peppered her with questions. Lorelai had been honest, telling her how she had had a nice time and she and Kirk had shared a kiss... or two. At this, Rory had squealed in amazement and immediately asked if Lorelai would be willing to see him again. So, after asking Kirk out herself this time, Lorelai met her daughter at home that afternoon, sat her down and asked her:

"If I was to date Kirk, pursue a romantic relationship with him, would you be OK with that?" Rory's answering grin was all the approval and blessing Lorelai needed.

For their second date, Lorelai asked Kirk to meet her at _Luke's_. She knew that Kirk practically idolized the diner man, and maybe Luke's presence would put him at ease. Then again, it could have the opposite effect and make him more nervous. Hell, she was nervous herself to be dining intimately with the town entrepreneur in front of her best friend.

If Luke was surprised that Kirk had even made it to the end of a first date with Lorelai Gilmore, much less done well enough to earn himself a second, he didn't show it. The diner owner had graciously agreed to close the place down early and serve only just the two of them. Lorelai was grateful for it. It gave her a chance to be alone with her date and recreate the atmosphere from the Hartford restaurant, if only slightly. As Kirk talked with her, she laughed genuinely at everything he said. "I can only imagine what you were like when you were younger," she openly flirted.

Kirk blushed. "I actually wasn't much different."

"It's true, he wasn't," Luke rumbled with a smirk as he came by with their orders. It was the only interjection he made the whole night.

The fact that their second date was rained out in the end by a downpour did nothing to dampen Lorelai's mood. All the same, the Gleasons' place was on the other side of Stars Hollow and by the time Lorelai had raced Kirk home in the rain, they were both soaked through.

Standing on his front stoop, a beaming Lorelai pulled Kirk close by his shirt collar and kissed him sensuously, parting his lips expertly with her own and slipping her tongue into his mouth. He responded eagerly, his kissing technique much improved, and she purred happily, closing her eyes in pleasure. "Mmmmm..."

They broke apart reluctantly. "Do you want to come in and dry off?" Kirk whispered. "Or at least change? My mother has extra clothes that may fit; she's out of town tonight anyway."

Lorelai blinked. "You mean she lets you stay home alone?" She regretted her phrasing immediately and more so the way it sounded - surprised, on the road towards sounding almost judgmental. Mercifully, Kirk didn't appear to notice. Lorelai finally nodded her head.

"Sure. I'll come in for a bit." Rory was going to be out tonight anyway, over at her friend Lane's house for a sleepover.

Shyly taking her hand, Kirk led Lorelai into the house and up to his mother's bedroom. "Would you like to dry off in the bathroom or change? I'm just going to change into my PJs."

Lorelai made a quick decision. "I think I will change, actually."

The couple began to strip down, their backs respectfully, if also a tad awkwardly, to each other. Lorelai could feel her heart beating very fast, even as she told herself, _Nothing has to happen_.

Finally in nothing but her undergarments, Lorelai began rummagaing through Mrs. Gleason's drawers, but paused when she realized that Kirk had turned around too soon and was watching her.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed. She blushed crimson. Kirk was already in his PJs and appeared frozen in amazement, perched on the edge of the bed. It was as if he had never seen a half-naked woman before. Suddenly inspired, Lorelai crossed to him and sat beside him, still in her undergarments. She stared at him with her blue, doe eyes.

"Have you ever been with a woman, Kirk?" she murmured softly.

"Sure. I hang out with them in town all the time." His innocence made her laugh. Smiling tenderly, she tucked her long locks of black hair over her shoulder. Reaching behind her back, she unclasped her bra and let it fall, so that her perfect breasts hung free. Standing, she shimmied out of her panties. Kirk watched her the whole time, transfixed.

Sitting beside him again, and now stark naked, Lorelai took Kirk's hand and guided it to her breast. She let him cup her, kneading the curvy flesh and giving the nipple a tweak.

He came. Hard, and in his pants. His entire face contorted with the effort and he made a strangled sound. Kirk turned away, ashamed.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's OK... It's OK..." Lorelai crooned. Crawling over to Kirk seductively, she cupped his neck and mashed her lips to his in a steamy kiss. Kirk froze for a moment, but then relaxed and gave into the kiss, allowing Lorelai to push her tongue into his mouth and nudge him back onto the mattress. She slowly lowered herself onto him before tenderly beginning to strip Kirk of his pajamas. He groaned and bucked against her, helping Lorelai to work the clothes free even if he only had a vague idea of what was happening, what was about to happen. Strewing herself across him, Lorelai clasped Kirk's length in her fist once he popped free. "Mmhmmmm..." she groaned in approval at the sight of him, before pulling him between her legs and nestling herself amongst his. "Just follow me and do what I do."

And guiding him to her entrance, she lowered herself onto him. Opening her mouth wider, she kissed Kirk harder as, shifting her hips to properly straddle him, she began to ride him. Lorelai's nails dug into the mattress, her toes curled and she began to wriggle her body harder and harder as the pair worked up a sweat amongst tender kisses.

"Mmmm... Hmmm... Uhhhh! Huhhhh! Uhhhh-huhhh!"

Suddenly, Kirk kissed her rather indecently, and rolled them both over while still in a tight embrace. Now on top, Kirk began to clumsily thrust inside the beautiful woman. His movements uncertain, he braced the headboard with one hand as he slammed deep inside Lorelai again and again. Lorelai's groaning beneath him indicated that, inexperienced virgin though he may be, she liked what he was doing to her very much.

"Hmmmm... Mmmm... yes, more please..." She pushed her breasts into Kirk's face. "_Please_, Kirk... _please_... Fuck!"

That did it. Taken over the edge, Kirk ejaculated deep inside Lorelai with a huge grunt. Lorelai followed only seconds later with a tiny mewl. Sharing one final kiss, the couple halted in their lovemaking and fell asleep.

* * *

The morning sun was just peeking along the curtains when Lorelai woke with a start in Kirk's arms. Realizing what had transpired last night, she realized... Mrs. Gleason! She would be home soon. And so would... Rory! Back at the Crap Shack. How could she explain to her daughter why she hadn't come home last night? Knowing she had to beat Rory home and be gone by the time Mrs. Gleason returned, Lorelai stole out of bed and hurriedly redressed in her dry clothes. Giving Kirk one last look, planting on his mouth one last kiss, she slipped out of the house and hurried home.

With any luck, she wouldn't start the Stars Hollow Rumor Mill a-whirring...

* * *

It was several weeks later, after many more blissful dates with Kirk (but no more nights of making love), that Lorelai suddenly started craving fruit. Sensed her belly start to round and curve beautifully. Feel her breasts expand voluptuously as they were filled with a mother's milk. Recalling how she and her boyfriend had both forgotten to use protection that night, a panicked Lorelai took the pregnancy test that confirmed her fears: for the first time in close to two decades, she was pregnant again. She was expecting a little boy, this time around. When she told Rory, her daughter was shocked, but supportive.

"Mom... are you going to keep it?"

She didn't hesitate. "Yes. Kirk didn't ask for this. I'm going to tell him; he's the father and he deserves the right to know."

"Was he good to you?"

Lorelai blushed as she smiled. "Yes. A virgin, clearly, but sweet." Actually, she felt proud that she had given Kirk his first time and his first kiss. The more she thought about it, she felt proud to be carrying his baby. To be the mother of his child.

Rory was happy for her mother too, but still expressed one fear. "Mom, Grandma and Grandpa are going to find out eventually. And Grandma will want to know who the father is. Do you really want to expose Kirk to her?"

Lorelai bit her lip. She hadn't thought of that. And Emily would have plenty to say about her daughter's choice for a suitor, and inadvertent choice for her new baby's father. "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, sweets."

* * *

After Rory left for school, Lorelai went to work at the Inn. When Kirk arrived with a shipment of mattress frames, she dragged him into the potting shed out back where they would be guaranteed some privacy.

"Kirk... I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father."

Kirk stood mute for several seconds; he seemed to have the lost the ability to do anything. Finally, he cupped Lorelai's face in his hands, tilted her head back and kissed her senselessly. "Hmmmmm..." Lorelai moaned in approval, her fingers sinking into his hair as she kissed him back.

"Are you going to keep it?" Kirk asked when they broke apart.

Lorelai blinked in surprise. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Kirk gratefully kissed her again...

... Then he got down on one knee. "Lorelai Gilmore, I love you. Will you marry me?"

Lorelai's mouth unhinged into a perfect 'O'. This was the third time she had been proposed to in her life, and the second in the last year and a half. But unlike Christopher all those years ago when she was pregnant with Rory, who had proposed out of obligation when his parents had told him to, Kirk was doing this beyond the fact that it was the right thing to do. He wanted to be a dad... AND he wanted to be with her, for all the right reasons. A man who would love her for her whole self and not just her beauty. And so, pulling him to his feet, Lorelai kissed Kirk deeply as she whispered into his lips:

"Yes, I will."

* * *

The wedding was held several months later, at the Independence Inn and with Lorelai already starting to show nicely. Rory was the Maid of Honor; Richard gave his daughter away. Though put off by Kirk when he was first presented to her, Emily felt she had no choice but to attend. Her daughter's mind was made up: she would marry Kirk and have him as her husband, parental opinions be damned. Upon being pronounced man and wife, the newlyweds kissed to cheers and Lorelai became Mrs. Lorelai Gleason. And the best part was, she didn't have to move in with Kirk's mother; Kirk moved into the Crap Shack with his new wife and Rory.

Four months after the wedding, and a honeymoon in Hawaii, Lorelai went into labor. A healthy baby boy was born, whom Lorelai proudly named Kirk Gleason Jr.

Lorelai was a mother again. And for the first time, she was wife to a man who loved her. A man who had charmed her and still seemed shocked that he had gotten her to fall in love with him. But she had. Lorelai had fallen in love and in love she would stay, as she and Kirk had a long and happy married life together.


End file.
